Meet Nodaway Valley School Board Candidates

Three individuals are vying for two at-large positions on the Nodaway Valley School Board in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election. Running unopposed for the District 1 seat is incumbent Adam Woosley.

Mary Dodson, Daniel Shilling and Kristen Jensen are the three at-large candidates. The newspaper sent four questions to the three candidates and are printing answers to these questions below. The candidates are listed alphabetically.

See bios of city council candidates from around the area in an upcoming edition.

Mary Dodson

My name is Mary Dodson. I have lived in Adair County for almost 19 years. I moved here from Corydon. I hold an associate’s degree from Indian Hills Community College and work as the Fontanelle City Clerk. I came from a large family of eight kids. I have four kids, two stepchildren and 10 grandkids.

My inspiration for running is my current position gives me a high level of confidence dealing with the community, employees and a board. This will be beneficial stepping into a school board role. When a friend asked if I would give the school board a try, I thought it through, asked my family and talked to others who have served. After the current school year, I will not have a student roaming the halls of NV, so this may change my perspective of business decisions.

Key issues I feel our school faces are a lack of trust the community has for the school board and school employees. We should work on transparency and truth with issues and be truthful when an issue is confidential. Nodaway Valley needs to reassure our community, parents and students that our school is moving the education program into the future with updated technology and the right tools to prepare them for their futures.

Kristen Jensen

My name is Kristen Jensen. I grew up just outside Kansas City and became an Adair County transplant in 2006. My husband Tim, who was raised here, and I took the opportunity to move ourselves and our five-year-old family practice to Greenfield. Nineteen years later, I still continue to work with my husband as an office manager for our chiropractic business and hold an associates in applied sciences degree. Tim and I have two sons. Jack is in his second year at the University of Iowa for Civil Engineering and Erik is a junior at Nodaway Valley High School.

I am inspired to rerun for one of NV’s At-Large Board of Director’s position because of our student’s and staff’s ability to persevere and grow through challenges. I am also constantly amazed by the ingenuity it takes to develop the many programs and unique opportunities that our district offers our students to be competitive with larger districts.

Some key issues that our schools face are a fluctuating enrollment and working to meet our students’ needs with our facilities. While currently serving my first term on the NV School Board, with one year as vice president and three years as president, I have been constantly learning about school finance, facility studies and policy development and implementation. I also currently serve on the Iowa Association of School Board of Directors for District 7. In order to tackle these key issues, I will continue to utilize IASB strategies, take the time to collect the facts, see all sides and dedicate the time to work alongside great board members to do what’s best for our students and district.

Daniel Shilling

My name is Daniel Shilling. I moved to Greenfield in 1994 (my freshman year of high school) from Ft. Richardson, Alaska following my father’s United States Army retirement. My extended education includes the Construction Technology program at Iowa Lakes Community College. I’m currently a Manufacturers’ Representative for cabinetry of nearly 10 years. My wife and I currently have four children enrolled in the Nodaway Valley School district with another one on deck that’s currently attending Little Lambs preschool here locally.

With the end of my first term as an elected school board member near, I reflect on the learning and challenges of being on the Nodaway Valley School Board. With almost four years of experience, I feel like I’m in a greater position of knowledge and poised to make even more positive impacts for our students, community and its employees through my contributions on a board that in itself is in a better position more than ever to accomplish great things.

We have our buildings/facilities that need attention coupled with positive fluctuations in enrollment and future capacity concerns. These types of things will require specialized professionals to make recommendations. Our job is to ask the appropriate questions and provide a vote that will achieve and ensure an outcome that’s the best possible, most responsible for our community school district. Most of my success during my professional career has been due to my knowledge and experience of construction projects and the ability to work with others.